In the outer waters of God Valley, dozens of Marine warships formed a steel defense line that should have been unbreakable. Seagulls circled high above the masts, and the sea breeze was steady. Everything was wrapped in a tense, unnatural stillness.
BOOM!
Without warning, a violent explosion ripped through the eastern sea. A Marine frigate was torn in half by the blast, its two halves sinking helplessly into the ocean depths.
"Enemy attack! Enemy attack on the eastern line!" a lookout screamed, his voice raw with panic.
"How is that possible? This operation was top-secret!"
Before the Marine fleet could fully react, the dense black dots on the horizon rapidly grew larger. It was a massive armada of pirate ships, each flying a Jolly Roger that represented a notorious legend of the seas. Leading the charge was a terrifyingly giant ship, like a moving island. The symbol on its bow sent a chill of pure dread through every Marine who saw it.
The Rocks Pirates.
"Report to headquarters! It's Rocks! The entire Rocks Pirates fleet has appeared!" Terrified voices crackled over the Den Den Mushi. "It's not just them! The Golden Lion is here! Charlotte Linlin! Edward Newgate! Almost every legendary pirate in the world is here!"
On the deck of the lead ship, Rocks D. Xebec issued his declaration. "Rocks Pirates, follow me!"
"Gurararara..." Edward Newgate let out a hearty laugh while holding his naginata. "Hang on a second. Who said I was your subordinate, you idiot?"
"Mamamama! Don't be mistaken! All the treasure here will be mine!" Charlotte Linlin licked her lips, her eyes burning with greed.
Beside her, a young Kaido, carrying a spiked club and sporting two horns on his head, snorted. "What good is treasure to you, Linlin?!"
"What did you just say, you little brat?!"
"Gyahahaha! Stop arguing! The winner takes all!" the Golden Lion, Shiki, cackled, floating in mid-air.
Even amongst the crowd, two women of completely different styles were at each other's throats.
"Honestly, a bunch of crude men. Can't you be a little more elegant?" Stussy sighed, stroking her hair.
"Shut up, you pampered brat. Just try not to wet your pants later," Gloriosa, the Empress of Amazon Lily, retorted without ceremony.
Captain John, Ochoku, Silver Axe... names that gave the World Government nightmares were all gathered in one place. They were a chaotic assembly of monsters, bound together only by their ambition, ready to turn on each other at a moment's notice. But for now, they had all aimed their fangs at God Valley.
On the island, the Celestial Dragons' party was interrupted by the sudden sound of cannon fire. They weren't panicked, merely annoyed.
"What are the Marines doing?! Why are there pirates here?!" Saint Top furiously smashed a golden wine glass on the ground. "These useless dogs! They've disturbed our game!"
The other Celestial Dragons began to complain loudly, furious that their "divine right" to entertainment had been violated.
On the high cliff, Saint Jaygarcia Saturn remained seated, his gaze simply shifting from the hunting ground below to the battle on the distant sea. His eyes were as calm and still as an ancient well.
The commander of the God's Knights, the man with the crescent-shaped hairstyle—Figarland Garling—slowly rose to his feet.
"Have the Marines stand down," he commanded. His voice wasn't loud, but it carried an authority that could not be questioned. He then drew the longsword from his waist, its blade catching the sun with a cold glint.
"God's Knights, engage at will!"
At the same time, on the western coast of God Valley, the Oro Jackson arrived.
"Let's go, boys!" Roger was the first to leap from the ship onto the shore.
"Heh heh, looks like we get to make a real mess today," Rayleigh said with a grin, pushing up his glasses as he followed.
"Roger, there's no 'captain's privilege' when it comes to the treasure this time!" Jabba joked, his twin axes resting on his shoulders.
The rest of the crew landed one after another, their faces alight with the thrill of the coming battle. All except for one.
Kyle stood at the back of the group. Beneath his black hair, his golden eyes held none of their usual excitement, only a deep, tangible gloom. This wasn't a battle. This was a one-sided slaughter for sport. He saw it all: the fleeing civilians, heard the laughing gunshots, and understood that lives were being treated as points in a game. It was a scene ripped from the darkest chapters of history from his old world.
The sheer arrogance of treating others' suffering as entertainment, of trampling on life as if it were dirt, of calling oneself a "god" while stripping "humans" of everything—it struck a nerve deep inside him, a nerve of pure abhorrence.
Damn you, Celestial Dragon scum. I really, really want to kill someone right now...
His hand tightened around the shaft of his naginata, his knuckles turning white. A cold rage burned silently in his chest, hotter and deadlier than any of his powers.
Roger sensed the strange shift in the air. He turned to look at Kyle and grinned. "What's wrong, Kyle? You feeling seasick?"
Kyle looked up, the gloom on his face replaced by a brilliant smile that didn't reach his eyes. "No, Roger." He gave his naginata a gentle twirl, his gaze fixed on the depths of the island.
"I just suddenly feel... it's a bit too noisy here."
The battle for God Valley had already turned into a meat grinder. The Marine defense line was as fragile as paper against the onslaught of legends.
"Hold them back! Hold them back for me!" a Marine Colonel screamed, his face a mask of blood and sweat. "Our mission is to protect the Celestial Dragons! We cannot retreat!"
"Requesting reinforcements! The eastern line has collapsed! The Rocks Pirates are on the island!"
"Enemies on the west coast as well! It's the Roger Pirates! They've broken through the Cipher Pol blockade!"
"There are too many... We can't hold on!"
Desperate cries filled the Den Den Mushi network. In the temporary Marine command center, a general slammed his fists on the table in despair. "We can't hold! We really can't! Rocks, Roger, Golden Lion... every monster in the world is here! Our men are being slaughtered!"
"Hold your position! Reinforcements are on the way!" Fleet Admiral Kong's anxious voice yelled back.
"Reinforcements?" The general gave a bitter laugh. "Who could possibly..."
BOOM! A tremendous crash interrupted him.
On the horizon, a warship with a dog's head for a figurehead smashed through the side of the pirate fleet, ramming several ships that couldn't get out of its way. On its deck, a burly man in a "Justice" coat was too impatient to even wait for the ship to dock. He simply leaped.
Garp landed on the island, his face a mask of pure, impatient excitement. He roared with a voice that could shake mountains.
"WHERE IS ROGER?! TELL ME WHERE THAT BASTARD IS!"
Monkey D. Dragon, who had been dragged along for the ride, looked at the hellish battlefield around them, then at his utterly clueless father, and silently raised a hand to cover his face.
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